History of Rock:

As a musical genre, rock has long been both a reflection and generator of major cultural shifts and its own historical force. Through the six-part documentary, The History of Rock and Roll, students explore this interconnection and travel through the decades to examine the social and political climate and global events that influenced rock’s evolution, as well as its origins in youth activism and social change. Students also had the chance to study Seattle’s imprint on rock history through exhibits of iconic Seattle rock bands at MoPop.

Songwriting & Song Structure:

Teacher Tom Neal explains that he and co-teacher Gardner Stevenett want students to not only learn the history of rock and roll, but to be able to do something with that knowledge. “We want to provide them with a framework for analysis and also with scaffolding so they can process what they’re learning and also contextualize that new knowledge so they can apply it to their work as a band and as musicians.” For example, in listening labs, students closely listen to two famous songs from the late 1960s, Strawberry Fields by The Beatles and God Only Knows by The Beach Boys. Tom explains, “we ask them to identify what’s going on in the song from the perspective of their own instrument, but also what was going on for other people in the band. This helps them get out of their own zone and really think as a band, to see the pieces as interlocked and how they fit together as an ensemble.” In other workshops with Peter Spencer at Island Music Guild, students explored what makes a song, what makes a good song, what makes a group of musicians, and what makes a band – getting into the subtle alchemy of band dynamics and, as Tom describes, “that magic weaving together of people collaborating in step with each other.”

Band Rehearsal:

Students also get the chance to create that alchemy together. Alongside individual practice, students work cooperatively as a band, learning to think, listen, and respond as a unit to advance each piece of music. The nuanced collaboration of band work requires self-motivation, self-regulation, and the ability to truly listen to others – to the music they create, and to the ideas they present. From sound checks, to warmups, to breaks, band rehearsal requires a practiced balance of individual performance within a group ethos.

Recording Studio Session:

Throughout the Panorama, students are building a set that will culminate with the chance to lay down tracks at a professional recording studio in Seattle. Their private instruction, practice, and group rehearsal build toward this final project. In another exercise of collaboration and teamwork, students even staged an album cover photo shoot in the Hilltop meadow just beyond the space where they rehearsed togehter. A gritty fog even rolled up for mood.